Comment on Kmart lifetime guarantee on plants — read the fine print

No need to worry, said Kmart, announcing a new lifetime guarantee on certain plants sold at its lawn and garden centers. Customers who buy a tree, shrub or perennial with a “Plants for Life, Guaranteed” tag can, upon the plant’s untimely passing, receive a replacement or store credit if they return the “Guaranteed Plant remains” with an original receipt, the discount retailer said Monday. Plants damaged by vehicles, lawn mowers, snowplows, chemicals, animals or vandals are out, too, according to the fine print on the company website. Same for plants finished off by “acts of God, including, but not limited to: disease, insects and related plant pests, or weather.” Like any guarantee, there are certain exclusions for things like abuse, mechanical damage or extraordinary weather events, the company said. In most cases, if a tree or shrub makes it through the first winter, it’s likely to live a long and healthy life, said Jack Leider, a volunteer with the plant clinic at the Chicago area’s Morton Arboretum.